HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - As Joseph Lee conducted the Cirque de la Symphonie concert last spring, he couldn’t watch the crazy acrobatics taking place at the front of the stage. He was facing the orchestra, but he could feel the excitement in the hall and the occasional “whoosh” of an acrobat flying by.

“I’ve conducted in a lot of interesting situations, but that was the first time I’ve had people flying around my head,” said Lee, who is the resident conductor of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra. “It was such a spectacular and exciting night.”

Lee will also be conducting the return of Cirque de la Symphonie Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and an identical family-friendly Cirque concert on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Both concerts will be in the Von Braun Center’s Mark C. Smith Concert Hall.

“It’s a different show with different music” than the concert in the spring, Lee said. “But it will have an identical vibe. I don’t know how many times (the audience) leapt to their feet, but it was more than once.”

Last year’s concert sold out, and many people who wanted to come weren’t able to. Word about how exciting the program was spread, and the symphony office heard from a lot of people who wanted the HSO to bring Cirque back, Lee said.

One of the things that makes the show such a success, Lee said, is the combination of great classical music with the acrobatics. The program includes many familiar pieces, such as “a really fun piece by Mikhail Glinkam,” Lee said, and a lot of 19th-century Russian music.

Many of the works are a short five-to-seven minutes, meaning they’re not often performed at symphony concerts. That’s exciting for Lee, who is conducting several pieces for the first time.

Because the works are short and there is the exciting visual element, the Cirque performance is a perfect introduction to symphonic music, Lee said. It’s also great for children, which is why the HSO has included the family-friendly concert on Sunday afternoon.

“If you’re not familiar with symphonic repertoire, this is a good chance to come and experience us and be guaranteed that you’re going to have a great time,” Lee said.